November 2025
Balance is Overrated
The most successful people in the world have the least amount of balance. These idols of ours (think athletes, politicians, entrepreneurs, and artists) sacrifice everything else to get really, really good at doing one thing. We applaud the masterpiece but forget the wreckage behind the curtain because we only see (or care about) the polished part of their story.
Recently, I read some books on these individuals—DaVinci and Jobs among others—to really understand what makes them who they are. Each time I closed a book, I appreciated their genius more and respect their personal choices less.
Biographers find that as they near the end, they say things like “I wish I spent more time with my family, spent more time living, caring for myself,” etc. But the truth is, if they were put back in that situation, they would likely make the same choices.
Their desire is a compulsion. The driver is often money or status or the intoxicating pull of achievement. From the outside it looks inspiring. From the inside it is usually anxiety, restlessness, a limited social circle, and a constant feeling that whatever they have built is not enough.
For me, the lesson is that balance is overrated. I’ve never aspried to be any of the “successful” people I’ve read about because the more I know about them the less I like about them. But, their skill at being hyper focused for great results is worth replicating for some periods. Constant balance makes you too well-rounded for too long and life’s seasons demand different things at different times.
What is also important, is the foundational aspect. If you are dialed in on the six pillars of health—stress management, movement, nutrition, socialization, mindset, and sleep—then you get better results more efficiently. A well-oiled machine that hits the basics consistently is one that can perform better for longer. A machine that sorely lacks any of these evolutionary essentials will hold you back.
Not all pillars can be reinforced at once. Some are easy at certain ages, like socializing at twenty and much harder at seventy. Some are tempting to ignore, like movement when the couch feels safer than the gym. The smarter approach is to shift attention toward what has been neglected rather than doubling down on what already comes naturally. Which pillar has been ignored long enough that it is starting to crack?
We might never have gotten the iPod Shuffle or the Mona Lisa if Da Vinci or Jobs had pursued balance. But for the rest of us, the aim is not to be consumed by a single obsession. It is to build a life that can bend, stretch, and still hold strong.
-Brian
🎙️ The Growth Kit (Podcast)
Full list of episodes here. Follow The Growth Kit on Instagram. Subscribe to your favorite podcast player (Spotify, Apple). And please leave a review!
🥇 Best of the Month
“What is the ultimate quantification of success? For me, it’s not how much time you spend doing what you love.
It’s how little time you spend doing what you hate.”
—Casey Neista
🎧 Podcast: Dr. Emily Splichal: Foot Health is the Gateway to Improved Performance & Cognitive Function by The Ready State
📖 Book: The Wealth Ladder: Proven Strategies for Every Step of Your Financial Life by Nick Maggiulli
🎁 Product: Brick lets you set the times when apps are blocked. The phone stays locked until you physically tap it against the magnetic Brick. I keep mine on the side of the fridge so the ritual becomes part of the routine. Get 10% off with this link.
❓ Question of the Month
Q: Does sugar really “feed” cancer, or is that a myth?
A: Cancer cells do consume glucose rapidly, a metabolic pattern called the Warburg effect, but cutting out sugar does not starve tumors. Your body maintains blood glucose through gluconeogenesis even in the absence of dietary sugar. The real issue is the metabolic environment created by chronic intake of refined sugars and fast-digesting carbohydrates. Many carbohydrates are not thought of as sugar, yet they break down into glucose and can drive hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, inflammation, and visceral fat accumulation. These disruptions, not the sugar molecule itself, are what increase cancer risk and support tumor growth signals.
Do this: Limit ultra-processed sugars and refined carbs, pair carbohydrates with protein and fiber, stay active after meals to keep insulin and glucose in a healthier range, and stay active (lift heavy stuff, do short bursts of intense exercise, and walk a lot).
⏱️ Brutal by Design
Each month, I share one brutally hard workout, something that challenges strength, grit, and capacity. These won’t be efficient or beginner-friendly. They’re designed to hurt.
Hamstring Havoc
Purpose: Build hamstring strength, tendon resilience, and posterior chain power, while reducing the risk of a tear and back pain, which is often associated with hamstring weakness but tends to be overlooked.
Equipment: Dumbbells, furniture sliders or towels, bench or elevated surface.
Workout:
Single Leg Deadlift (SDL) with dumbbell: 3x8
Slider Hamstring Curls: 3x10
Coassack Squat with Forward Leans (dumbbell): 3x12
Tip: Drive hips back and keep the knees sof. The hamstrings should carry the load, not your lower back.
Optional Misery: Finish with a 60-second isometric hamstring bridge hold.
💡 Things I’ve Learned
🧠 Mind
Mindfulness and CBT Reshape Chronic Pain
In a one-year randomized trial of 770 adults with chronic low back pain on daily opioids, both mindfulness-based therapy (MBT) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) led to modest but sustained improvements in pain, function, quality of life, and opioid dose. Pain scores dropped by 8% and disability scores improved by roughly 6% with no meaningful difference between therapies and no serious adverse events.
Do this: If you have chronic low back pain on opioids, ask your provider about either CBT or mindfulness-based group programs and commit to at least eight weekly sessions plus regular home practice.
The Hidden Clock Behind Alzheimer’s Risk
This study built a 24-hour map of gene activity in brain support cells and found that aging and amyloid plaques scramble biological rhythms in mice. In healthy brains, almost half of Alzheimer’s risk genes follow a daily cycle, and microglia clear more amyloid in the evening than the morning. When plaques form, the timing of these processes breaks down. Cleanup genes lose their rhythm while inflammatory genes gain a new one, suggesting circadian disruption might help drive disease.
Do this: Prioritize sleep quality and get morning sunlight to strengthen the brain’s natural day–night rhythm.
What Sends Men and Women to the Hospital
England’s hospital data shows a simple pattern. Men injure themselves doing questionable activities involving motorcycles, scaffolding, or lawn equipment. Women show up because they’re busy producing children. Delivery alone brought in more patients than some countries’ entire populations.
💪 Body
Dark Chocolate’s Heart-Healthy Boost
A meta-analysis of 31 randomized trials with nearly 2,000 adults found that cocoa or dark chocolate at 70 percent or higher lowered LDL by about 9 mg/dL, total cholesterol by over 8 mg/dL, fasting glucose by about 5 mg/dL, and blood pressure by a couple of points, all without raising weight or BMI. The benefits were strongest for flavanol-rich chocolate, not Dutch-processed cocoa.
Do this: Choose dark chocolate that is at least 70 percent cocoa, not alkalized, and ideally organic.
The Zone 2 Hype Meets Reality
Zone 2 training is getting plenty of spotlight these days, yet this 167-study review makes it clear that it is not a standalone solution. The evidence shows that Zone 2 improves fat metabolism, but higher-intensity work creates larger mitochondrial gains and stronger overall health benefits. The buzz around Zone 2 came from applying elite endurance models to everyday people, but most of us do not have the training volume to rely on it as our primary engine for fitness or longevity. Real progress happens when Zone 2 sits alongside strength training and higher-intensity intervals, not instead of them.
Do this: Keep Zone 2 in the mix for easier days, then balance it with regular strength work and brief, challenging intervals to cover the full spectrum of health and performance.
The New Math of Movement: Intensity Over Minutes
A recent study of 67,000 adults shows that 1 minute of vigorous exercise = 4 minutes of moderate = 53 minutes of light exercise for the same mortality benefit.
For heart protection, the ratio widens: 1 minute vigorous equals 8 minutes moderate or 72 minutes light.
For diabetes prevention, it’s even steeper: 1 minute vigorous ≈ 9 minutes moderate ≈ 94 minutes light.
In short, intensity gives you 4–9× more return on time than steady effort.
Do this: Add 10 minutes of hard effort a week, such as hill sprints, kettlebell swings, or fast intervals between strength sets. You’ll match the benefit of nearly an hour of moderate work.
🎯 Dad
The Decline of Free Play Is Reshaping Kids’ Mental Health
A major review argues that the sharp drop in children’s free play over the last 50 years is a leading driver of today’s teen mental health crisis. Kids now spend far less time roaming, problem-solving, and negotiating with peers, and far more time under constant adult supervision or indoors on screens. Studies show that as free play declined, rates of anxiety, depression, and even suicide rose dramatically. Play builds autonomy, confidence, and social skills, and losing it removes the experiences that protect mental health long before therapy or medication enters the picture.
Do this: Create daily pockets of unsupervised outdoor play where kids can practice independence, solve problems, and lead their own activities.
The New Case for Strength Training in Kids
This report warns that modern youth are showing clear signs of “pediatric dynapenia,” or early-life weakness, with major consequences for health and activity. Low strength reduces confidence, limits motor skills, and widens the gap between active and inactive kids. Evidence across dozens of studies shows resistance training boosts bone density, metabolic health, mental well-being, and injury resilience, including up to a 67% reduction in noncontact ACL injuries in girls.
Do this: Build a weekly routine for kids that includes playful strength work, not just cardio, screens, or unstructured sport.
The Strongest Predictor of Teen Mental Health
A large analysis of more than 11,000 teens from the ABCD study found that family conflict was the single strongest predictor of current mental health symptoms. Fighting, arguing, and verbal hostility inside the home predicted problems better than any brain scan or demographic factor. Peer issues like bullying and reputational loss ranked second. Neuroimaging was the weakest predictor, despite its popularity in research circles.
Do this: Protect your home environment from chronic conflict. Calm communication is one of the most powerful mental health tools for kids. Family therapy can be great too.
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